The imm cologne 2014 is highly diverse. Color brings a touch of friendliness to interiors everywhere, designers and manufacturers alike wallow in superbly finished woods and rely on materials such as copper and brass. Instead of going for the new, they’ve updated the tried-and-true. And revitalized Modernism.

Trade fairs are not only catwalks for products. People also meet here. On the evening of the first day, AD magazine, Stylepark and Marc Meiré invited designers, manufacturers, artists, intermediaries and journalists to Marc Meiré’s house to swap notes on what’s to be seen and to debate what the pressing current issues are.

Each time a new year begins, one is beset by a strange sense of disquiet. As though we needed to fight off a virus, we start tidying up. And in so doing, come across piles of books that deserve to be ignored no longer. So, here we go – let’s take a look at what we’ve got.

There was a time when floor coverings were called carpets, parquet or tiles. Today, the term is “trend floor coverings” or simply “fashion items”. We visited the Domotex fair and now know and what takes off when it gets floored.

New digital printing technologies for home textiles are the key business driver at Frankfurt’s Heimtextil trade fair and are making sure the sector starts out the year with a bang. That said, there are few really astounding designs to be seen – but we found them.

As the preferred photographer of Zaha Hadid, Sanaa and Herzog & de Meuron Iwan Baan tends to be on the road all year. In “52 Weeks, 52 Cities” on show at Marta Herford the Dutchman presents his overall view of the world – which includes both people and instructions for use.

Each year, imm cologne is the first event to present the latest home trends for Europe and overseas. Over 1,100 exhibitors from more than 50 countries will present their innovations at the furniture fair. An exhibitor schedule presents the most important manufacturers.

The speed pitch voting for the US participants in the Audi Urban Future Award 2014 has been decided: Philip Parson and Federico Parolotto triumph as the winning team in the online poll that commenced in mid-December. Their idea: a “multi-mobility marketplace”.

A mysterious client in Kazakhstan, a well-known architectural firm named OMA and a so-called science campus are the protagonists in "Naukograd" - a piece in seven acts on the experiences of an international architectural firm.

“Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen. Cologne calling. We’re presenting the international interior furniture fair to you.” It’s imm cologne time again and much sounds like the old top-of-the-pops charts. So let’s check out who or what’s behind the current line-up.

A 30-meter-long bed and a wall of tools. Those are the suggestions Danish designer Louise Campbell has made for “The House” installation at the imm cologne. Is she taking the industry to task with a critique of consumerism? The “sneak preview” in her studio gave cause for hope.

The “Featured Editions” at the imm cologne is taking place for the second time, curated by Stylepark together with the trade-fair team led by creative director Dick Spierenburg. A total of 14 selected designer/manufacturer combos present experimental installations, from the spectacular to the quiet, from the poetic to the sculptural.